The quilt of guilt

When topics like abuse, misuse of power, homosexuality, etc are being discussed, it is not always done adeptly. But Lihaaf, written by Ismat Chugtai, touches on these topics in a way that connects people to them beautifully. Presented by Playtonik Productions and directed by Deeban Chakravarthy, this play that is based on Ismat’s Lihaaf that was written back in 1942 will find resonance even in today’s world.

The plot revolves around a little child who is sent to stay with her relatives. She witnesses things that are out of the realm of her experience. The story addresses sexuality and hints at lesbian sexual relations without overtly discussing these subjects. Talking about the play’ theme, Deeban says, “Apart from power abuse, we talk about abuse, homosexuality, etc. We have had people who have gone through these things coming up and sharing their personal stories. This is what makes all this effort worth it.”

Explaining why he chose this particular play, Deeban says, “As a group, we were exploring the idea of monologues and solo performances. That is when Roli Arun, who co-founded the group with me, came across Lihaaf and was mesmerised by it.”

Deeban shares that through the course of practising for the play, he and Roli, who is the main artiste, were in touch over WhatsApp and phone as she had relocated to London. Talking about the uniqueness of the play, “The story itself is unique as Ismat’s style of writing is such that she places herself in the shoes of her character. Also, it is quite a relevant story written in Awadhi and Urdu. It neither glorifies anything, nor delves into details and yet conveys the emotions involved so beautifully,” Deeban shares.

Roli is the narrator and plays all the other characters too. “Quite a lot of rehearsals were needed,” she admits. “Apart from the theatrical techniques, I had to learn their mannerisms and each of them was very different,” she says. Talking about which character she connected with the most, she says, “I could most relate to Begum Jaan and the narrator.  As a woman, I had a better understanding of what they were going through.”